The are many factors which impact on the efficiency of a manufacturing cutting process, such as cutting tool life, operator fatigue, and inaccuracy in cutting. These factors limit how quickly and easily parts can be manufactured.
Cutting tool wear results from repeated contact between the cutting tool and the workpiece and directly correlates with the life of the product. The contact between the workpiece and the cutting tool also produces friction which, in turn, generates heat that can adversely affect the life of the tool. For example, as a saw blade cuts through a workpiece, the sides of the blade contact the sides of the groove that has been cut into the workpiece. The sides of conventional saw blades have a relatively rough finish. As such, when the abrasive surface of the saw blade contacts the abrasive surface of the cut groove, a large degree of friction results which quickly heats up the workpiece and the saw blade. Excessive heat can result in damage to the saw blade and/or the workpiece.
Operator fatigue also reduces production efficiency. Operator fatigue is generally magnified by the frictional resistance between the cutting tool and the workpiece. As discussed above, when the sides of a saw blade contact the workpiece, friction develops between the two rough surfaces. This frictional interaction is transmitted directly to the operator as cutting resistance requiring the operator to apply more force to cut the part.
In order to minimize contact between the blade and the workpiece, conventional saw blades are formed such that the width of the cut (commonly referred to as the saw set), which is defined by either the width of the cutting tip for straight saw blades or the overall width formed by the laterally offset teeth in non-straight saw blades, is slightly oversized from the blade or body of the saw blade. This oversize in the cut provides clearance between the blade and the cut portions of the workpiece. The amount of clearance will vary depending on the size and type of saw blade. While adding clearance between the saw blade and the cut portion of the workpiece helps reduce the contact between the saw blade and the workpiece, any lateral movement of the saw blade will still result in the tool contacting the workpiece.
Another problem with conventional saw blades actually results from the clearance that is introduced between the width of the teeth and the blade or plate to alleviate the frictional contact discussed above. The clearance between the teeth and the blade can produce wobble of the saw blade as it cuts through the workpiece. This can result in misdirection of the saw blade, producing an inaccurate cut. Most manufactures of saw blades, however, feel that this is an acceptable deficiency in conventional saw blades since reducing operator fatigue and extending tool life are paramount.
Recently companies have begun to brand their tool products based on the appearance of the product. For example, many companies have begun to apply a consistent coloring or finishing scheme to their products so that consumers quickly identify the product as belonging to a particular manufacturer. These coloring schemes have an additional benefit—to assist in hiding blemishes and other non-critical discrepancies in the product finish.
For products that are not coated or painted, the blemishes must be removed by surface grinding the part. This adds unnecessary cost to the resulting product.
A need, therefore, exists for an improved manufacturing process which provides a surface finished tool that has reduced visible blemishes and which has a shiny finish.